What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
At approximately 08:46 EDT on November 23, aircraft N5776W, a Piper PA-28-150, s/n 28-1611, landed on runway 03 at Simsbury Airport and on roll out was immediately struck in the left wing by a vehicle trying to cross the runway to get to the hangars located on the other side. There were two persons onboard, a certified pilot and flight instructor. All persons involved were uninjured. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR part 91 and originated at Simsbury Airport (4B9). Simsbury Airport is an uncontrolled airport and relies on aircraft to monitor UNICOM frequency 122.7. Weather was visual meteorological conditions, and was not a factor.
Inspection of the aircraft revealed that the left wing was detached from the fuselage and the section outboard of the flap was dented and buckled, the last three feet of the leading edge was torn and crushed and the left landing gear was detached from the wing. The right wing outboard of the flap was buckled downward and the leading edge was torn and dented. The vertical fin was crushed downward and the left side of the horizontal stabilator crushed rearward. The top of the fuselage near the cabin door was crushed and both windshields were broken. Both prop blades were bent forward.
A witness stated that the aircraft touched down within a hundred feet of the taxiway where the vehicle was attempting to cross at what appeared to be a normal landing speed of 50-55 knots and decelerated as it rolled down runway 03. As the aircraft crossed in front of the taxiway the vehicle impacted the left wing of the aircraft. The aircraft then rolled clockwise and came to rest inverted approximately 200 feet past the collision point. The witness also stated that he had a handheld radio and was monitoring UNICOM frequency 122.7 and heard N5776W in the pattern call out downwind, base, and final in preparation for landing.
The person operating the vehicle stated that as he approached the intersection of the runway he did not come to a complete stop but he did slow down and look both ways. He said he did not observe any aircraft so he proceeded through the intersection crossing the runway. He stated he did not know there was an aircraft landing until he collided with it.
The pilot in command (PIC) stated that shortly after touchdown his student began applying brake pressure. At this point, we were roughly within 100 feet of the intersection with the taxiway. It wasn?t until this point when both my student and I saw the car driving down the taxiway in my periphery on the left. By then, it was impossible to make any evasive maneuver or to execute a go-around. The car failed to stop/hold short of the runway and continued driving to cross the runway. As it entered onto the runway, the left wing struck the car on the passenger side. This caused the airplane to flip upside-down and skid down the runway upside-down.
As the FAA filed it
AT APPROXIMATELY 08:46 EDT ON NOVEMBER 23, AIRCRAFT N5776W, A PIPER PA-28-150, S/N 28-1611, LANDED ON RUNWAY 03 AT SIMSBURY AIRPORT AND ON ROLL OUT WAS IMMEDIATELY STRUCK IN THE LEFT WING BY A VEHICLE TRYING TO CROSS THE RUNWAY TO GET TO THE HANGARS LOCATED ON THE OTHER SIDE. THERE WERE TWO PERSONS ONBOARD, A CERTIFIED PILOT AND FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR. ALL PERSONS INVOLVED WERE UNINJURED. THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91 AND ORIGINATED AT SIMSBURY AIRPORT (4B9). SIMSBURY AIRPORT IS AN UNCONTROLLED AIRPORT AND RELIES ON AIRCRAFT TO MONITOR UNICOM FREQUENCY 122.7. WEATHER WAS VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, AND WAS NOT A FACTOR.
INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THAT THE LEFT WING WAS DETACHED FROM THE FUSELAGE AND THE SECTION OUTBOARD OF THE FLAP WAS DENTED AND BUCKLED, THE LAST THREE FEET OF THE LEADING EDGE WAS TORN AND CRUSHED AND THE LEFT LANDING GEAR WAS DETACHED FROM THE WING. THE RIGHT WING OUTBOARD OF THE FLAP WAS BUCKLED DOWNWARD AND THE LEADING EDGE WAS TORN AND DENTED. THE VERTICAL FIN WAS CRUSHED DOWNWARD AND THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HORIZONTAL STABILATOR CRUSHED REARWARD. THE TOP OF THE FUSELAGE NEAR THE CABIN DOOR WAS CRUSHED AND BOTH WINDSHIELDS WERE BROKEN. BOTH PROP BLADES WERE BENT FORWARD.
A WITNESS STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN WITHIN A HUNDRED FEET OF THE TAXIWAY WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS ATTEMPTING TO CROSS AT WHAT APPEARED TO BE A NORMAL LANDING SPEED OF 50-55 KNOTS AND DECELERATED AS IT ROLLED DOWN RUNWAY 03. AS THE AIRCRAFT CROSSED IN FRONT OF THE TAXIWAY THE VEHICLE IMPACTED THE LEFT WING OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT THEN ROLLED CLOCKWISE AND CAME TO REST INVERTED APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET PAST THE COLLISION POINT. THE WITNESS ALSO STATED THAT HE HAD A HANDHELD RADIO AND WAS MONITORING UNICOM FREQUENCY 122.7 AND HEARD N5776W IN THE PATTERN CALL OUT DOWNWIND, BASE, AND FINAL IN PREPARATION FOR LANDING.
THE PERSON OPERATING THE VEHICLE STATED THAT AS HE APPROACHED THE INTERSECTION OF THE RUNWAY HE DID NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP BUT HE DID SLOW DOWN AND LOOK BOTH WAYS. HE SAID HE DID NOT OBSERVE ANY AIRCRAFT SO HE PROCEEDED THROUGH THE INTERSECTION CROSSING THE RUNWAY. HE STATED HE DID NOT KNOW THERE WAS AN AIRCRAFT LANDING UNTIL HE COLLIDED WITH IT.
THE PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC) STATED THAT SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHDOWN HIS STUDENT BEGAN APPLYING BRAKE PRESSURE. AT THIS POINT, WE WERE ROUGHLY WITHIN 100 FEET OF THE INTERSECTION WITH THE TAXIWAY. IT WASN?T UNTIL THIS POINT WHEN BOTH MY STUDENT AND I SAW THE CAR DRIVING DOWN THE TAXIWAY IN MY PERIPHERY ON THE LEFT. BY THEN, IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE ANY EVASIVE MANEUVER OR TO EXECUTE A GO-AROUND. THE CAR FAILED TO STOP/HOLD SHORT OF THE RUNWAY AND CONTINUED DRIVING TO CROSS THE RUNWAY. AS IT ENTERED ONTO THE RUNWAY, THE LEFT WING STRUCK THE CAR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THIS CAUSED THE AIRPLANE TO FLIP UPSIDE-DOWN AND SKID DOWN THE RUNWAY UPSIDE-DOWN.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.